The Great Resignation and 7 Reasons to Switch to the Cannabis Industry

An unprecedented trend is taking hold of the employment industry in 2021. Millions of workers are leaving their jobs. In the United States, four million workers walked out on their jobs in April alone!

What’s behind this phenomenon, and what does it mean for the cannabis industry?

The Great Resignation

Most employment researchers believe that the Big Quit, also known as the Great Resignation, is rooted in worker dissatisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic gave people the time to reassess their job situations—and many came up lacking. People are no longer willing to put up with low wages, poor working conditions, and lack of respect from employers.

Now, job seekers are looking for positions that are a cut above the rest. Some of these workers are turning to the cannabis industry. And why not? Not only is the cannabis industry growing by leaps and bounds—it also boasts (on average) higher wages, more benefits, and better working conditions than similar mainstream jobs!

Read on for seven reasons why it’s a good idea to switch to the cannabis industry during the Big Quit.

1.   Higher Wages

Switching to the cannabis industry will probably boost your paycheck. You might be shocked to learn how much money you can make in the marijuana industry!

Most salaries in marijuana jobs are higher than salaries for similar positions in mainstream jobs. On average, cannabis industry workers earn 11 percent more than the US median salary.

Why not switch to an industry where you can earn more money for the same amount of work?

2.   More Benefits

Cannabis industry employees are more likely to get benefits like paid time off and health insurance than employees in other industries. This is one reason the great resignation has taken off, benefits are lacking in other job sectors.

In a 2020 Survey, it was found that 83% of US cannabis-industry employees receive paid time off. Across the board, only 77% of US workers receive paid time off.

The same survey found that 73% of cannabis industry workers receive medical benefits. Only 70% of workers receive medical benefits in private industry.

What does that mean? If you switch to the marijuana industry, you’ll have a better chance of getting a job that comes with benefits like paid time off (PTO) and insurance!

3.   Plenty of Job Openings

While many industries crashed during the pandemic, the cannabis industry grew.

In 2020, the United States marijuana industry supported 321,000 full-time jobs. The industry is expected to generate an additional 340,000 full-time marijuana jobs by 2022. That’s more than twice as many jobs as last year!

Those numbers don’t include the black market cannabis industry, which is valued at roughly $64 billion. As more states legalize marijuana, thousands of black market jobs will move to the legal weed industry.

With growth like that, it’s easy to find a marijuana job!

4.   Lots of Perks

Have you ever asked a budtender what they like best about their job? While salary and benefits are usually on the list, budtenders are often more excited about the perks that come with the job!

Because marijuana is federally illegal, marijuana infused product manufacturers (MIPs) are limited in where and how they can advertise their products. The best way to sell a cannabis product is to win over the customers’ first point of contact—the budtender!

Cannabis budtenders get tons of free samples from cannabis infused product manufacturers. Dispensary owners also give budtenders free samples—how else can the budtenders accurately describe their store’s products?

Budtenders aren’t the only marijuana employees who get perks. Cannabis employees get free stuff all the time: from branded merchandise like t-shirts, lighters, and posters to tickets for special cannabis-industry events.

Who doesn’t want free weed as part of their job? Perks like these make a cannabis job even sweeter!

5.   Your Skills Will Transfer

In some industries, workers need highly specialized skills. You can’t use your experience making French fries at McDonald’s to get a job making computer chips at IBM!

The cannabis industry is different. No matter what your former job was, it’s likely that your skills will transfer to the cannabis industry.

Agricultural workers can use their vegetable growing skills to cultivate weed. Kitchen workers can apply their cooking skills to make edibles. And retail employees can leverage their sales skills to become budtenders. It’s similar work—just a different product.

Of course, you do need to get some marijuana knowledge to round off the job skills you already have. Luckily, marijuana training has become more accessible and career-focused every year.

When you’re ready to add marijuana to your resume, be sure to enroll in a legitimate cannabis career training program that gives students real skills—not just a useless certificate. Cannabis Training University, the world’s first online cannabis school, offers a certification program.  

This program not only adds credentials to your resume—you’ll also learn the real skills that cannabis employers are looking for in new hires.

6.   Remote Jobs Are Available

If you want to work remotely, you might be avoiding marijuana jobs. With all the regulations and oversight around cannabis, it’s easy to assume that there aren’t any remote jobs in the marijuana industry.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! A quick search of the internet turned up 270 remote cannabis jobs on SimplyHired and 367 on Indeed. Although most of the jobs were in marketing, sales, software development, and writing, some of the remote listings were for jobs that are traditionally done in person. There were even listings for marijuana telehealth workers!

Bottom line? Don’t rule out the cannabis industry just because you want to work remotely. A marijuana job just might meet your needs!

7.   Marijuana Is Mainstream

Some people hesitate to look for a job the weed industry because they’re afraid of “what people might think.” They worry that the cannabis industry is sketchy, and that they will seem sus by association.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! Marijuana is actually mainstream AF. At modern cannabis businesses, you’re more likely to encounter lab coats than tie dyes.

More than half of US states now have legal cannabis programs. Marijuana is legal in the entire country of Canada. And recent polls indicate that fully 91 percent of Americans support federal marijuana legalization.

So don’t let insecurity stop you from applying for a marijuana job. If you land one, your peers will admire you for jumping onto the cutting edge of modern business!

Take the First Step!

If you’re ready to transition to the most revolutionary industry since high tech, look no further than cannabis. Marijuana job opportunities will continue to grow through 2021 and into 2022: in the United States, Canada, and around the world, especially with the help of the great resignation.

To embark on a cannabis career, you’ll need to be prepared—both to do the work and to set yourself apart from other job candidates. If you’re ready to join the hundreds of thousands of people currently working in the marijuana industry, invest in your cannabis education. Get the skills and credentials you need at Cannabis Training University.